


Victory Declared Too Soon

by Iamacarrot



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brotherly Love, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family Feels, How to Train Your Dragon References, Kidnapping, Mind Manipulation, Starvation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-01
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22964872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacarrot/pseuds/Iamacarrot
Summary: On a seemingly normal day, under what could only be the perfect conditions for familial love, a tragedy hits. A tragedy that will get worse and worse before it gets better.If it even gets better at all.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 56





	1. Surprise and Capture

**Author's Note:**

> So uh, yeah. Hope ya like this and its almost obvious references. :')

"The one in blue… look at those markings; those claws and teeth… he's perfect!"

"I knew you'd like him. So, you want us to snag him tonight? We could ambush them and grab him before they recover."

"No. Take down their alpha first; use a net trap to bring him to the ground, dart the Softshell and Eastern Box. Leave the Slider to panic; I will approach him, and when he goes to attack, I will carry out as I wish."

"A flawless plan as always. I'll ready the hunters."

"Make do immediately. The sooner we have that beautiful beast at our bidding, the better."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Okay, is there any reason you guys have me blindfolded? It kinda defeats the purpose of walking if I can't see."

"Don't worry. You'll find out soon little brother."

Leo huffed in discomfort, shuddering briefly before continuing to follow the sound of shuffling feet. Even as a youngling had Leo been opposed to being called "little brother." It made him feel small and insignificant… and weak. Of course, he never let his brothers know this, so one could say that it was Leo's fault entirely that he was stuck hearing the occasional term of affection.

"I don't like this…" Leo muttered aloud, nearly jumping out of his shell upon having a clawed hand touch his shoulder. An apology from Mikey was given, leading Leo to sigh in relief. "It's fine. I guess my nerves are a bit shot, huh?"

"Leo, you don't have to be so nervous. Do you really think we would put you in danger while blindfolded?" Raph asked, smirking at the- blocked yet still readable -annoyed glance he earned. "Aww! Who's my grumpy little brother?"

"Raph, I swear to the Pizza Supreme in the sky, if you pick me up and cradle me, I will personally make sure you die a painful- PUT ME DOWN!" Group laughter was given in response to Leo's exclamation, and he growled loudly as he was hugged tightly. "YOU WILL ALL PERISH!"

"I'm sure we will." Donnie chuckled, patting Leo's head curtly. "Now, are we ready, my sight gifted brethren?"

Raph and Mikey nodded, snickering at Leo's shouts of distress. As soon as he stopped squirming, Raph removed his brother's blindfold, smiling widely once Leo took notice of the present he had been gifted. A medium sized statue was placed in the middle of a rooftop the boys perched themselves on. It was nothing short of spectacular; something understandable considering how it was in Leo's exact likeness. A near perfect replica of Leo's Odachi was made of what was most likely solid gold, and the statue's main composition was made of silver, shining wonderfully in the moonlight.

"Guys… it's… I…" there were no words that could describe how Leo felt; it was so much to behold- almost too much -and Leo found that the only thing he could do was cry. "Thank you!"

"Anything for you, Leo. You're our brother, and you were a major part of New York's saving." Raph let Leo down, expecting him to run forward and admire the statue with a slew of egotistical blabber.

What the Snapper didn't expect, however, was his brother turning and jumping back into his arms. Tears flowed down Leo's cheeks, and it took everything in Raphael to keep from crying as well.

"I don't deserve this…"

Wait, what?

"Leo, what do you-"

"I knew that you could make it, I truly did, but I can never stop thinking about what could have happened if I messed up even once!" Leon's crying was now sobbing, and he did all he could to keep his grip unbreakable. "One misstep, one wrong word, one broken second, and none of us would be standing here!"

A whimper escaped Mikey's lips, and he scampered towards his older brothers, placing a hand on Leo's carapace. Donnie joined soon after, a saddened smile on his face. The quartet stood this way for what seemed like an eternity before Leo stopped crying, letting his grip loosen and leaning against Donnie.

"Thanks, guys." Leo sighed, smiling finally in response to the gentle nudging he received.

"Go on," Donnie urged, "admire it."

"Yeah!" Mikey agreed. "You deserve it!"

A chuckle made itself known, followed by Leo slowly walking towards the statue. No words needed to be said as Leo ran his hand along the statue, silently adoring his gift.

"This is beautifully made, Don. You should think of starting a business." Leo quipped.

"Har-har." Donnie replied, just barely beginning to wag his tail. "I thought I told you to-"

"LOOK OUT!" Raph's scream sent chills down his brothers' spines, and they each watched in horror as Raph pushed Mikey out of the aim of a giant net trap. Loud growling and hissing was drowned out by terrified screams, the sounds growing louder as a group of disguised Yokai ambushed the turtles.

"DONNIE! LEO! RAPH!" Mikey wailed, trying his best to keep his attackers at bay. The twins were forced to do the same, neither knowing what to do, too confused and shocked to respond to each other. As time flew by, the attackers grew in number, eventually becoming too much for the boys to handle.

"Dart them!" A voice came from the fray, assertive and serious throughout the chaos. "Put the orange and purple ones to sleep! Save the blue one for the boss!"

As soon as those words were said, Donnie and Mikey were hit with tranquilizer darts, both falling to the ground without another word. Raph screamed at the top of his lungs, using every bit of strength in himself to free himself from the net trap. Almost immediately, the Yokai barraged Raph with tranquilizers, backing away as he fell with a loud 'Thud!'

"LET THEM GO!" Leo screamed, racing towards his brothers.

Before Leo could reach them, a rope was thrown around his neck, bringing him down onto the harsh cement. A metal, two-pronged pitchfork was slammed against the back of Leo's neck, forcing an aggressive hiss out of his mouth as a fear response.

"Aren't you just perfect?" A female voice purred. Two clicks were sounded soon after, leading Leo to tense up, his pupils slitting and his breathing labored. "You belong to me now, little one."

Leo groaned, making no moves to fight back as he was let up. His vision was fuzzy, his ears ringing, and his sense of freedom taken away. A forceful tug led Leo to walk into a large crate, where he was hit with a dart, falling and going into a deep sleep.

"What about his brothers?"

"Bring them too; but put the alpha in the crate next to him him."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Because, my dear… I want the alpha to watch in horror as his little brother slips out of his grasp for good…"

Collective cheering came from the group, and the remaining brothers were hauled into crates, unable to say a thing as they were transported through a portal into the depths of the Hidden City.

All the while, Leo's statue stood solemnly in place of their defeat.


	2. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph finds one more piece to the puzzle.
> 
> The puzzle he didn't even knew existed.

_Waves. That was all he could see. All he could hear. The salty air invaded his sensitive nose quickly, and while it was strong beyond comparison, it still managed to soothe him. Occasionally, the sound of a flock of seagulls or other seafaring birds would gain his attention, but it went away as soon as it came._

_"It's a beautiful place you've created here. I must say that I'm almost impressed."_

_Raphael snarled, turning his head to look at the cloaked figure that was sat in the sand. No other words came from the figure, sending a sense of fury through the Snapper. Without warning, Raph turned on a dime, leaping into the air, and growling as he was kicked into the ocean. A scoff of disappointment came from the figure, and they watched as Raph sat up, not making a move to leave the water._

_"Soothing, isn't it? The harsh water on your scales? A luxury I'm sure you rarely ever get to experience."_

_Raph said nothing, breathing heavily and sitting still; it seemed as if even the waves were unable to move him. A group of seagulls called out, landing on the ground and focusing their attention on the Snapper._

_"You couldn't save them!" One of the birds cried. "Why couldn't you save them?"_

_"He is weak! That's why!" Another exclaimed._

_"No! He was ambushed! He did all he could!" A third defended._

_Raph knew what these birds were doing. They were turning his innermost thoughts into words. His questions, his defenses, his deprecation._

_"Now, now. Calm down boys. Give us a minute, will you?" The birds flew away, leaving the two souls to themselves. "Do you know what is happening, Raphael?"_

_"You're mocking me."_

_"No, I am allowing you to come to terms. I assure you that the Softshell and Eastern Box are-"_

_"DON'T CALL THEM THAT!"_

_"Well, what should I call them?"_

_"They're my brothers! And I will not stand here and listen to you mock my family with your words!"_

_"Then it's a good thing that you're sitting down."_

_Raph ignored the snide remark, standing up and rubbing his neck absentmindedly. The figure hummed, walking towards Raph. Now, by this point it was clear that the figure didn't intend to hurt Raph, yet he still couldn't keep himself from hissing and growling as the figure got nearly two feet away._

_"Your tail is attracting a few fish." The figure spoke now in a voice just barely audible above the waves. "Come out of the water, young one. It isn't safe with your temperament right now."_

_Raph sneered, but did as told, flinching as the figure stuck a hand out to pet him. Upon contact, Raph was unable to keep from melting into the touch, sitting down in the sand._

_"I promise to take good care of him, Raphael; and because of that, I must inform you that it's time to let go. He is in my care now, and under my bidding. Just do yourself and your family a favor and go. Lead your pack away from this place."_

_"What do you mean? Who are you? Why did you do this?"_

_"Those questions shall be answered in due time. For now, you must wake up. Be the alpha your pack needs."_

_"Ugh! And that! Why do you keep calling me th-"_

_"AWAKE!" ___

__~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_ _

__Raphael awoke with a start, panting and sweating profusely. Puddles of rain surrounded Raph, and he rubbed his head in pain. What could any of this possibly mean? Why was this happening to his family? How was he going to-_ _

__"Raph! You're okay!"_ _

__A happy gasp was followed by elated laughter as Raph was dogpiled by Mikey and Donnie. The group purred loudly, staying in their position for two minutes before parting._ _

__"So, did you find Leo?" Mikey asked happily._ _

__"I… was about to ask the same thing." Raph responded, sitting up silently. "Did either of You see where he was taken?"_ _

__Neither of his younger brothers replied._ _

__"No. This can't be happening." Raph whispered. "It can't! It's my job to protect you! All of you! I have to go back! Donnie, take Mikey h-"_ _

__"Raph! No! Their lair is heavily fortified! We'll never get in alone!" Donnie shouted, taking a tight hold of Raph's arm. "Please, we need to think this through."_ _

__In the distance, thunder rolled through the area, and Raph frowned, whimpering briefly before nodding. "You're right," he sighed, "we need to plan ahead. For Leo."_ _

__Donnie smiled, pulling Mikey close. The two nodded simultaneously. "For Leo." They agreed._ _


	3. Introduction

Mochi. That's what he was first fed in the dreaded hellhole that wasn't his home. It was fresh, hot, and shaped just like little turtles. They smelled amazing, and they tasted divine, reminding Leo of home.

"It isn't every day that we receive a creature so cultured. An amazing spectacle indeed."

Her voice was inviting and calm. She talked to Leo and touched him gently, like a mother soothing her child. Her name was Aria, and she treated Leo fairly. Whatever he wanted, she would give him.

That is, unless he asked to go home.

Aria was sweet, but firm. Understanding, but showed an understandable amount of strictness. Of course, the Slider knew why; Aria wanted to make him feel safe and secure. She wanted him to forget about what she and her hunters had done to him.

She had taken away his family; taken away his friends. She robbed him of his once known life, and traded it in for a life inside of a specially designed habitat; one that left him trapped behind glass.

"Good evening, Ritorutātoru." Oh, yes. How could Leo have forgotten about that nickname? "Would you like a treat?"

Leo said nothing; he only huffed and looked at the disguised Yokai on the other side of his makeshift prison. Though he couldn't see it, Aria smiled, pressing a button and opening a hidden door. Before Leo could react, another Slider raced into the enclosure, hissing and growling violently as they were poked and prodded by sharp ended poles.

"It is March." Aria spoke calmly. "Knowing your species- as well as how you will begin acting after your instincts kick in -you will need a partner to bond with. Because of that, I am gifting to you this male."

Leo scoffed, a sly smirk appearing on his face. "Bold of you to assume that I'm interested in males."

"Trust me, a mother knows." Aria chuckled. "And though I may not be your biological mother, it is not difficult for me to tell what encourages you."

"Uh-huh. Right." Leo turned to face his new companion; they couldn't have been older than Leo, judging by the number of rings on their shell. They were strong, fierce and- judging by how they were constantly checking for escape routes - incredibly intelligent.

"His name is Kyōbōna. A term I'm sure you will understand very soon." Aria chimed, waving her hand in encouragement. "Now go on, introduce yourself."

Despite being annoyed and somewhat unnerved about the situation, Leo did as told, slowly approaching Kyōbōna. Upon sensing Leo's presence, Kyōbōna turned and prepared for a battle, hissing and crouching into a pouncing position. Leo chirped, lying down without a word and giving a warm, inviting smile.

"Yes… make nice, Little One." Aria whispered, summoning two of her hunters. "Watch these two. If they begin to touch snouts, send your best men to retrieve a female. We need as many chances as possible to produce offspring and continue his bloodline."

The hunters nodded, waiting patiently for their leader to leave. The tallest of the hunters hummed, watching Leo and Kyōbōna silently introduce themselves.

"I give them two days." the shorter of the hunters challenged.

"I give them three minutes." the first replied. The duo then continued to watch their targets intently, waiting for something to happen.

It took thirty minutes for their bet to be broken.

"Get the Token-League. They're the fastest and most proficient." the tallest instructed.

"You're not going to stay and watch this, are you?" the second asked, discomfort clear in his voice.

"Of course not," the tallest responded quickly, "I know how immoral this is. And the kid's gonna be devastated when he learns the truth about his new friend here."

"No doubt about that." the second chuckled. "Now come on. Let's not be assholes and leave these two alone."

"Words of wisdom spoken by an idiot."

"Oh har-har."


	4. How?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph contemplates even more, and Donnie proposes a solution.

How was he going to do this? How was he supposed to tell their father what happened? He had run multiple scenarios through his mind, but they all ended the same way.

With Splinter blaming Raph for everything.

"It's not your fault, Raph. You know that." Mikey assured, placing a comforting hand on Raph's arm. The Snapper gave a weak smile, placing his hand over Mikey's in an attempt of agreeance. But, five seconds passed, and, "Raphie… your claws are digging into my arm…"

A low whimper drove Mikey to frown, watching as Raph picked up his pace. It was clear that Raph didn't want his remaining brothers involved in this, that he feared they would be taken as well. It was his job to protect the family, and he failed.

"I failed…" Raph whispered, his tail dragging along the rooftop solemnly.

Donnie said nothing, but knew how big of a sign this was. To the brothers, body language was everything, a crucial thing due to their animalistic tendencies. To keep everyone in the know, each brother had developed his own instinctual tell of happiness:

Mikey's tell was his excessive clicking, whenever he had something to tell that was exciting, he would click and chirp for hours. The twins' tell was- funnily enough -their purring. Whenever they were happy, content, or even in pain they would purr. But Raph? Raph's tell was intimate, something that was moving to all of the brothers, considering their anatomy.

Raph's tell… was his tail.

Every happy moment with Raph was accentuated with a wag of his oversized tail. Whenever Raph was angry, his tail would thump against the ground rapidly, alerting the family to his sour mood. Whenever Raph was sad, his tail would drag, a painful thing to watch, and an even more painful thing to experience.

And if he were being completely honest with himself, Donnie would confidently refer to the tail dragging as a form of self-harm.

"You shouldn't do that, Raphael. You're going to damage your scales." Donnie warned calmly. "Not to mention the excessive amount of bacteria on these roofs."

"I deserve it." Raph muttered, looking anywhere but at his brother.

"No, you don't. You had no control over the situation. None of us did. Even if you had sensed it earlier-"

"Are you saying that I wouldn't have been able to stop it even if I was on alert?"

"At the risk of sounding like an asshole; yes. That is exactly what I'm saying. The probability was incredibly high. Our attackers were clearly well trained, and had an advantage with numbers."

Raph's tail started to twitch.

"Okay, hold on, are you even listening to yourself right now? We just lost our brother, and you're sitting here patronizing me because of probability?!"

"Yup."

The thumping started.

"Whose side are you even on?!"

"Last I checked, I was on your side."

They stopped.

"Donnie, I don't know what kind of game you're trying to play right now, but I-"

"Why would I play a game after such a traumatic experience?"

Raph curled his beak into a snarl.

Donnie reciprocated.

"Uh, guys? I don't think now is the time to-"

"Not now, Michael. I am in the middle of teaching our big brother a lesson."

"Oh, that is IT!"

Raph charged at Donnie swiftly, growling and hissing each time his attacks were dodged. Swipes and bites were landed on each brother, neither giving in to their pain, and neither listening to Mikey's terrified pleas and squeaks for them to stop. For four minutes the two fought, until Raph ended up pinning Donnie down, snarling and panting aggressively.

"Do you… see what I… was saying?" Donnie asked breathlessly, showing no surprise as Raph backed away.

"I… what did you-"

"Raph, even if you had seen straight through my ploy, you would never have been able to stop this fight from happening. You would have gotten annoyed either way, provoked either way, and confused either way."

No words were said as Raphael processed his brother's lesson. By this point it made sense; Raph shouldn't be blaming himself for an unpredictable occurrence.

"But I can't stop myself from doing it…"

"And that's okay. We don't expect you to, but the fact of the matter is that we need you to. We love you, and we know you love us, but we have to put aside our feelings and focus on getting our brother back… okay?"

Raph didn't answer - he honestly couldn't. It wasn't that he didn't completely agree with Donnie's view, but it was the only logical choice at the moment. They needed to focus, and to do that, they needed to stop letting their emotions prevail.

With a look at Mikey, who had slowly and fearfully crawled up to the two, Raph sighed and nodded. "Okay," he sadly muttered, "we set our feelings aside and put our focus full force. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Donnie said easily. Almost _too _easily.__

__Mikey hesitated, frowning as he rubbed the back of his neck. He knew this wasn't right, but these were his big brothers. They knew when too much was too much._ _

__Right?_ _

__"Of course…" Mikey huffed aloud, refusing to let a tear slip. "It's agreed."_ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads Up: The "Individual Tell" information will be _incredibly important _throughout the fix, so try to remember this information.__


	5. Father of the Bridle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hope is a beautiful thing. It keeps our spirits up, and helps us aim for a better future for ourselves. In some cases, however, there are those who are unable to hope. Those who are put under the foot of the men and women who just want to watch the world burn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pro Tip:
> 
> _: Flashback
> 
> ~: Time Skip/Character Change

"Hold him down! Make sure you keep those ropes secure!"

"Keep the partner held back! Make sure they don't meet!"

"Someone bring me the bridle!"

Loud, roaring growls made themselves known between each pause of the frantic orders, informing every man in the habitat that Leonardo was, in fact, stronger than they'd predicted. Two bodies piled on top of Leo, keeping his body pinned to the ground. In front of Leo, one man was holding his snout shut, very nearly choking the Slider to a disturbing extent. Every time Leo started to wheeze, he was only allowed to take a quick intake of breath before his snout was slammed down once more. Across from the scuffle, Kyōbōna was struggling to reach Leo, calling out in hopes that the sound itself would free Leo. Tears pricked at the corners of Leo's eyes, and he hissed loudly before screaming.

"Karera no rūru ni shitagatte kudasai! Anata ga shinakereba, karera wa anata o kizutsukerudeshou!" With that command, Kyōbōna stopped his efforts, backing away without a sound. A look of despair was in the Yokai's eyes, and it only faired to make Leo feel worse. "Subete daijōbudesu. Daijōbudesu."

Kyōbōna nodded, sitting down and bowing his head. With that, Leo sighed heavily, sneering as a bit was placed inside his mouth. From there, Leo felt his entire head being led than a force going against his own.

How, oh how did he get like this?

_______________________________________________

Artificial. Cold. Unable to feel. These are the three things that Leo finally associated with this habitat of his. The only thing that went against these rules, the only other soul who could understand Leo's predicament was his partner, his friend; his _mate_. Social moments between the two consisted of nothing more than the occasional nuzzling, purring, and chirping. Nothing serious had happened, but Leo knew things wouldn't stay that way for long. These people, the ones who claimed to be humane, fair, and just, were nothing more than sick scientists who wanted _oh so badly_ to do anything in their power to create their own sort of "Mutant" animal. They said that, if the experiments worked the way they hoped, it could be an insight into the future. Genetic engineering of animals that could withstand more than a few cuts, bruises, shots, and falls.

"Kyōjin no kibō." Leo had called it. As expected, Kyōbōna did not respond. A look of serenity was on the Yokai's face, and Leo frowned, lying down across from his _mate_ and groaning. "When will I be set free from this place?"

"Kesshite." Leo's head shot up, and he bore his gaze into the offending eyes across from his. A sympathetic look was shown before turning into one of sadness. "Karera wa kesshite anata o kaihō shinaideshou."

"How come?" Leo's question came out just as desperate as he felt, and he knew very well that it made him look just like the child he truly was. "Why will they not just let us go?!"

"Watashi wa anata ni nanika o iwanakereba narimasen." Kyōbōna spoke softly, sitting up and closing his eyes. "Anata ga saru koto ga dekinai riyū wa-"

"GET HIM!" The shout drove both Sliders to hiss, standing up and attempting to race away. Much to his dismay, Leo had stood up one second too late, and was pinned down after his first turn, screeching as he tried to overpower his captors. For every one man taken down, nearly _three more_ were sent in, and Leo gave up in no time, knowing very much that he stood no chance. "KEEP THE OTHER ONE AT BAY! WE JUST NEED THIS ONE!"

At first, it didn't seem as if Kyōbōna was going to do anything, but with one lock of the eyes, the Yokai started racing towards Leo, cursing in both Japanese and Reptongue as he was held back.

______________________________________________

And that was how he got like this. The hope he had held that he would be set free at some point had been demolished, and he was now trapped between a rock and a hard place. On one end, Leo was being held back with a bridle tied along his head.

And on the other, Leo was being held at gunpoint by the same figure who had spent so long attaching herself to him in the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> Karera no rūru ni shitagatte kudasai! Anata ga shinakereba, karera wa anata o kizutsukerudeshou!: Follow their rules! If you don't, they will hurt you!
> 
> Subete daijōbudesu. Daijōbudesu.: Everything is fine. It's okay.
> 
> Kyōjin no kibō.: Madman's hope.
> 
> Kesshite.: Never.
> 
> Karera wa kesshite anata o kaihō shinaideshou.: They will never release you.
> 
> Watashi wa anata ni nanika o iwanakereba narimasen.: I have to tell you something.
> 
> Anata ga saru koto ga dekinai riyū wa-: The reason you can't leave is-

**Author's Note:**

> I swear that I'm still working on "Two Stones and a Whole Lotta Birds", I just needed a break to make some other stuff.
> 
> In any case, love y'all!
> 
> -Iamacarrot :D


End file.
